Politics Test - T3 '22

What is government?

- the system of political rule and administration over a society
- formed by the party/coalition that wins the majority of seats in the lower house

What is a democracy?

- a system of government by the people, for the people, and of the people
- demos = people, kratia = power

Who is the PM? What does he do?

- the leader of the party that wins the majority of seats in the lower house
- chairs meetings in which government discusses policies and bills
- selecting ministers
- representing the AUS gov overseas
- leading the gov in an election/calling the election
- advising the GG on important/constitutional matters

What are Ministers?

- members of the government with responsibility for areas called portfolios
- work with their department, communities, and professional organisations to prepare new laws or amend existing ones

What are shadow ministers?

- given a particularly area of responsibility (focus on particular minister/department)
- appointed by leader of opposition
- scrutinise the work of the government

What is Cabinet?

- the top-level decision making group in the government
- a group of senior ministers chosen by PM (usually 19)
- direct government policy and discuss national issues
- decides whether bills should be introduced to Parliament

What is a political party?

a group of individuals with similar political views

What is a coalition?

two or more political parties that join in an attempt to win an election and form government

What are independents?

politicians not affiliated to any political party

What is porkbarrelling?

making lavish promises during an election campaign that are highly unlikely to be realised

What is an absolute majority?

the requirement of a candidate or political party to win over half the votes to be declared the winner of the electoral division or form the government… (50%+1)

What does the government have to provide?

security
order
justice
essential services
social welfare
economic policy

What is a representative democracy?

a political system where citizens vote to elect representatives

What is a constitutional monarchy?

a political system in which a monarch is the head of state, and a parliament makes laws under the terms of a constitution

What are the 3 tiers of government?

federal
state
local

What is federal government responsible for?

foreign affairs
social security
industrial relations
trade
immigration
currency
defence

What is state government responsible for?

schools
hospitals
roads
public transport
community services
sport and recreation
consumer affairs
police
prisons
emergency services

What is local government responsible for?

roads
traffic
town planning
housing
economic and community development
environment (rubbish collecting)
recreation and amenity services

What is the constitution? How do you change it?

- a written statement outlining the basic structure of laws and government which provides a framework for the operation of government
- in order to change it, a referendum has to be held (AND PASSED -> double majority)

What are the 3 functions of government?

Executive: enforces laws
Legislative: makes laws
Judicial: judges what should happen to the people that break the laws

What are the upper and lower houses called at state government?

Upper: Legislative Council
Lower: Legislative Assembly

How many people in an electorate? How many electorates are there?

151 across Australia
110,000 voters in each

What is the HOR?

- the people's house -> represents the interest of the people
- holds 151 members (each representing an electorate) each with 3 year terms
- consists of government and opposition

What is the Senate?

- the states' house (even representation for the less populated states)
- safeguards the interests of all states and territories
- the house of review
- all bills must also be accepted by Senate before becoming a law
- more arguments because there is more variation in parties due to proportional voting -> 6/12 of senate seats in each state are distributed according to the party's share of the vote

Who is the Governor General? What does he do?

- because reigning monarch of England = HOS we need Australian representative -> delegates powers
- jobs include giving royal assent, appoint the session times of Parliament, can fire the PM -> 1975 Gough Whitlam, appointing ministers, act as Commander in Chief of the defence forces of the Commonwealth

Who are the main political parties?

Liberal Party -> businesses, privatisation, free enterprise
Labor Party -> equal opportunity, social security, redistribution of income/wealth
Nationals -> graziers, farmers, rural communities
Greens -> ecological sustainability, peace
One Nation -> reduce migration, limiting social welfare to A&TSI
Independents -> have agenda related to specific issues

Why can't independents become PM?

because only parties can form government

What is preferential voting?

votes are allocated to other candidates in order of preference

Who can vote?

Australian citizens aged 18+ have to enrol and they have to vote

How often are the elections held in each level of government?

Federal (for HOR) every 3 years -> date not known as PM has to call election
State ever 4 years in November
Local every 4 years in October

What is special about the length of Senate terms?

- each territory has 2 senators with 3 year terms
- each state has 12 senators with 6 year terms, so every 3 years there is a half senate election where 6/12 have to get re-elected

What are positives of compulsory voting?

- voting is a necessary part of the duties of citizenship
- it increases the legitimacy of elected representatives -> (candidates winning seats in parliament really do win a majority of the people’s votes)
- it increases the political education of the people...they will tend to pay more attention to politics if they know they have to vote
- it does not force a choice, people can always do an informal vote on purpose (or do a donkey vote)
- it means that candidates have to address the needs of all the voters, rather than just the wealthy and educated

What are the downsides to compulsory voting?

- citizens have the right to choose whether they want to vote -> democratic right
- majorities in Australian elections include the votes of many uninterested and ill-informed people who vote just because they have to
- it forces people to vote for someone even if they do not like any of the candidates on offer
- if voting were voluntary, parties and candidates would have to do more to convince people of the merits of their policies in order to get voters to the polls

What is question time?

- time to ask the gov to explain their actions and decisions
- in HOR and Senate Monday - Thursday 2pm - 3pm
- press gallery is full as well as seats, Australians can watch or read from wherever they are
- both questions without notice (stars with opposition, back and forth, also can include cross benchers) and questions with notice (questions to ministers written on notice paper)

What are Dorothy Dixers?

- prewritten questions asked by backbenchers planned by the gov to ask the PM/Ministers during QT to show off the achievements of the government
- named after magazine columnist who wrote her own answers and questions

What is the role of the Speaker/President?

- the speaker runs Parliament meetings, and keeps the court in order when things get heated (presides over debates)
- must find balance between partiality to their party but within the bounds that the opposition can tolerate
- evict people
- organise votes

What is a hung parliament?

- when neither party has gotten the absolute majority
- it is then a race to secure the support of the cross benchers
- eg. 2010 Julia Gillard vs Tony Abbot

What is a double dissolution?

- when senate rejects the same bill sent by the HOR twice
--- trigger, however you also need approval from the GG
- everyone gets kicked out and a new election is held
- usually it's used to call an early election

What is a committee?

- set up by either house to investigate into issues and conduct research
- they can question witnesses and collect evidence
- they can speak freely without any consequences -> parliamentary privilege
- research can result to changes to bills/policies
- report is prepared for Parliament with findings

What is proportional voting?

must win a quota in order to be elected